


Good Night

by titansatemysoul



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, I wonder who, M/M, Poor Levi is stressed but someone makes it better, mild illusions to an unhealthy relationship, no just kidding i don't at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 19:25:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8026021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titansatemysoul/pseuds/titansatemysoul
Summary: After a particularly lousy fight with the bae, Levi discovers a safe haven that is the open road (and one particular gas station).





	Good Night

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr December 2015

The first time, Levi doesn’t even notice him. He storms into the gas station, slamming a ten dollar bill on the counter.

“Ten on number four,” he says gruffly, already half way out the door. As he shifts his old green Civic into drive, he notices the cashier watching him from through the window. He catches Levi staring, and electric blue eyes, piercing even from yards away, smile back at him.

“Creep,” he mumbles as he peels out onto the open road. He doesn’t really know where he’s going and he doesn’t care. Another round of fighting with Nile has left him fuming, going home to a questioning Hanji and an empty bed sounds less than appealing. He drives around until he doesn’t feel so much, crawling into bed only after calling Nile to apologize, again.

The second time, Levi doesn’t want to be noticed. It’s past 3am and his eyes burn as he squints in the fluorescent lighting of the small store. He picks out an ice cream bar, a water and some tissues, dropping them on the counter. His face is red, puffy, hair disheveled. He’s in the same pajamas he’s been in for the past four days. He tries not to think about what he must smell like.

He barely looks as the cashier greets him, voice strong, soothing. _Erwin,_ he reads on his name tag, eyes willing themselves to travel upwards. If Levi were in a more rational frame of mind, he might think Erwin was hot. But he isn’t, and Levi casts his eyes back downward, wishing he could disappear. His phone buzzes for the fourth time in an hour, and without thinking, he picks it up, not waiting for Nile to speak.

“I get it, it’s over, so what the FUCK do you want now?”

He wants to pick up his things on his way to work in the morning. Great. Levi shoves his phone back into his sweatpants pocket. Someone clears their throat, and Levi realizes Erwin is still standing there, waiting on his $6.87.

“Sorry,” Levi mumbles, passing him crumpled bills.

“No, you’re good. It’s okay,” Erwin replies, sympathetic, and it makes Levi even angrier.

“It’s not,” he snaps, grabbing his items and leaving the change. This time he drives around until the sun comes up. He knows he’ll have to face Hanji eventually, and when he does, they’ll make him feel better. But it’s too new, too raw, and Levi just wants to sit in his own misery – and sweat, apparently. As he pulls back into his parking spot at 6:30am, he promises himself he’ll shower in the morning.

After that, driving becomes somewhat of a ritual. It’s not about Nile anymore, because he’s discovered something sacred, and it's certainly not something to waste on Nile. Driving is Levi's time to reflect, to be silent. The road is Levi’s hideaway and his safe place from the rest of the world. To Levi, the road becomes synonymous with peace.

“It’s a coping mechanism,” Hanji explains to him. “You’re working through your stress.”

“I can’t afford to work through my stress,” Levi replies, eyeing his bank statement, because he’s been spending way too much money on gas lately.

It doesn’t stop him though, and that night he’s in the gas station convenience store once again. This time he chooses a sparkling water and M&M’s. Erwin is there again.

“Are you feeling better?” Erwin asks as he scans Levi’s items. Levi looks at him strangely, before remembering that Erwin was witness to his recent break down.

“I’m good,” Levi says curtly, handing over his debit card. He looks anywhere but straight ahead as Erwin runs his card.

“All set,” Erwin says, handing back the card. “It was good to see you. Have a good night Levi.”

“Uh, thanks…Erwin,” he stumbles, tucking his card safely back in his wallet, away from prying eyes. What kind of creep gets a name from a card?

Normal people, Levi reminds himself as he drives away. It’s a particularly long night, and on his way back, Levi goes out of his way to pass the gas station, but Erwin is already gone. Levi pouts as he buys a breakfast bar.

He stops in the store more often, picking up one hell of a nasty sweet tooth in order to keep talking to Erwin. It's never much more than pleasantries, there isn’t much to say in the time it takes to buy a chocolate bar and an energy drink.

“It was good to see you Levi, have a good night.”

Erwin becomes part of his ritual, a few kind words and a charming smile before he sets out on his nightly adventures. It’s December, and the first snow has just turned their world white. Levi is anxious to see the snow banks in the moonlight, before tiny animals and humans can sully their smooth surface, but when he gets to the counter, it isn’t Erwin. A gangly looking boy with green eyes and messy brown hair stands behind the counter.

“Where’s Erwin?” Levi asks casually, eyes like daggers on this intruder. Levi stares him down until he’s red and stuttering.

“He quit, last week I think.”

Levi pays and hurries out of the store.

That night, the drive is dedicated to Erwin. In the few months or so he’d known him, if one could call it knowing, he’d never mentioned anything about leaving. Not that Levi blames him. Working overnight in some dingy gas station isn’t the most dignified job. He wishes Erwin would have said something though. Maybe they could have stayed in touch.

As if he’d of had the balls to ask for a phone number, Levi laughs to himself.

Weeks go by, and Levi’s ritual continues. Erwin isn’t there, but the shaggy brown haired boy, Eren, isn’t so bad, even though it’s not the same.

“Have a good night,” Eren calls after him as Levi leaves with bubblegum and a scratch ticket. He’s had his first good day in a long time. He’s in line for a promotion to management at work, Hanji finally cleaned the apartment without being threatened, and Nile called, asking for another chance. Levi was more than delighted to tell him to shove it.

He scratched away at the ticket with an old coin. Even if he only won a dollar, it would be the perfect cherry on top to his day.

No winners. Oh well.

Levi tosses the ticket in the garbage, putting fifteen dollars in his tank. He gives the store one last glance, half expecting to see Erwin staring out at him through the window like before.

It’s still Eren, who’s currently struggling with the register. Levi watches for a moment, amused. The customer is finally walking out, and Levi turns to get into his car.

“Hey,” someone calls out to him, and Levi looks up, ready to tell Eren to stop slacking off, except it isn’t Eren.

Erwin is walking towards him, hands tucked into a gray hoodie pulled over blonde hair.

“I wondered if I’d run into you sometime,” he said, jogging the last few strides to Levi. “How have you been?”

“Uh, good,” Levi replies, finding his voice. “You?”

“I’m great,” Erwin tells him. “I got a new job.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Levi looks at the ground. Erwin is going to say “it was good to see you, have a good night,” and walk away. He would reduce Levi to a loser who came to the gas station every night hoping to see him. Then again, Levi thinks, he’s already done that.

“You know I’ve always wanted to ask you,” Erwin is still talking. “Where do you go at night? Do you work or something? Live around here?”

Levi is taken aback, and slightly embarrassed, but he tells him all the same.

“N-no, I just drive around really. It’s good for stress, I think, and it gets me away from my roommate for a while.”

Erwin nods, animated.

“My roommate can be a lot too. I forgot how much peace and quiet I was losing by leaving this place.”

Levi hears himself laugh, strangled and awkward and shifts on his feet, clutching his car door with white knuckles.

“Well, that’s all I wanted to know I guess,” Erwin says sheepishly pulling at the string of his hood, and Levi thinks it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen. “It was good to see you, have a good night I guess.”

He’s walking away and suddenly it feels like its life or death.

“Erwin,” he calls out before he can think better of it. Erwin turns, hood falling to reveal mussed blonde hair. “If you aren’t busy, or want a break from your place, or something…” Levi swallows. “You can come – I mean if you want to.”

“Really?” Erwin asks, returning. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your space.”

“It’s fine,” Levi says quickly. “I just thought you’d want a break from your shitty roommate.”

Erwin grins, and Levi thinks he must see through the lie, but he doesn’t care. He finally gets back in the car, leg shaking as Erwin climbs in next to him. He has to push the seat all the way back to sit comfortably, unzipping his hoodie, settling into the seat. He leans back on the headrest before turning to Levi, lopsided grin on his face.

“So, where to?”

**Author's Note:**

> Where do the good, boys, go, to hideaway, hideaway? To random gas stations and the open road apparently.  
> (Yeah, I wrote this to Hideaway by Daya, I have no explanation)
> 
> This was one of my favorites at the time I wrote it. I'm notorious for driving around to avoid my problems, but unfortunately I've never run into a hot blonde cashier to improve my outlook on life /sigh


End file.
